“Tricks and treats for the eyes: The Trick Eye Museum” – About me and Rochelle’s trip
the Trick Eye museum in the Hongdae area of Seoul. It actually happened at the
beginning of the month, but I didn’t sort through the pictures and write the
post until recently. Enjoy, for it ranks as one of my favorite outings for us. Good luck with getting there too.

Upcoming: Writing activities, Krock, reflecting on US and Korean culture

The
Trick Eye’s a topic attraction among Koreans and foreigners alike. Too bad
finding it is more difficult than necessary. For such a famous place it sure is
hidden in the already dense and bustling Hongdae area. People looking for the museum
will find few markers or signs indicating its location. Rochelle and I got out
there and went up and down the side streets for the better part of an hour
looking for it ourselves. We finally happened upon the 서교
Plaza (Seogyo) that houses the museum and went in with high hopes. It’s in the
basement of the building and has the Santorini Café inside it as well, so look
for Santorini café signs as well.

It
was as good as the pictures we’d see from others who had been there! We enjoyed
the artwork and making funny poses with them. There isn’t too much that I can
add here about it because the Trick Eye’s all about using art to make optical
illusions. My favorite pictures were of the torture wheel and the bank vault,
but all the pictures looked good. Some seemed to make for more interesting
pictures than others. Imagining breaking out all that money felt good.

I’d
recommend Trick Eye for anyone looking for a good afternoon jaunt. It makes for
a fine dating venue because of all the opportunities for photos and
conversation, so get down there with your boy or girl for fun time!

Every
school semester is different here. The past three semesters have seen three
different teaching schedules, three different co-teaching schemes, and three
different sets of co-teachers. If there’s there’s one thing to emphasize about
the teaching life here, it’s be ready for
change at every turn. It’s no use fighting the changes or pining for the
old days; just press on and adapt to whatever’s thrown at you. This semester
brings more changes, but apart from school starting next week, there are only a
few things I know for sure:

No
teaching 3rd grade HS

JB
as main co-teacher for 3rd semester in a row.

All
the MS classes will take place on Thursday and Friday mornings

Two
new HS co-teachers

Mr.
Choi and Mrs. Jeong (both HS English teachers) are leaving

It’s
been like this every semester thus far: No one knows anything until the last minute. No one’s mentioned anything about
what the timetable will look like or how the co-teaching scheme will go down.
The scheme doesn’t matter too much since it hasn’t changed much since August
2011: I run the classes and the coteachers back me up. This translates to
designing the lessons and leading the classes while they provide whatever
translations or backup that may necessary. It’s around 60/40 in MS and 85/15 in
HS.

I’ll
miss working with Mrs. Jeong, for we had plenty of fun teaching the HS 1st
graders. We taught that joint double Korean/Chinese class together and helped
the kids write excellent comparison paragraphs. She brought in many effective
writing activities that we used throughout the year. I remember how hesitant
she looked about when she first asked about them. She said she didn’t want to
burden me with them because they were to be part of upcoming standardized
tests. Burden? For this certified English teacher? Of course not! I jumped on
those activities and we all had a good time. I’d been eager to more writing
work with the students and was happy to see another teacher interested in it as
well. The writing focus actually boosted the students’ speaking abilities
because they had more practice with using English and forming sentences.*

Despite
the uncertainties, I’m going to make this the best semester yet. The past
semesters have been good, but this one will be even better. We’ve a good group
of kids coming through the ranks. Not only that, but I’ve a better
understanding about how school works and can roll with changes more easily.
This past month’s proven good for revamping lessons and getting the goals laid
out for the new semester. I now have the first couple weeks of classes drafted
and ready to roll. The fun begins Monday!

While
at dinner last night, Gracie asked us all to say a few words about our
departing friend Kirsten. She asked each of us to say one thing we’ll remember
about her and to tell a story about her if possible.

The
conversation spurred a series of thoughts about what I’ll remember most about
those who are leaving. Admittedly, it is hard to say one or two things about
any of them because they’re a fine bunch of people who’ve helped make Cheorwon
a great place to live and work.

Kirsten:

lShe always had
something interesting to say. I don’t her ever being at a loss for words about
anything. She could take any topic and make it compelling. During one of the
last times we hung out, she talked for 15 minutes about cleaning
apartments and how some people aren’t as clean as they appear. I never expected
that.

Matt:

lAlways brimming
with energy and wanting to play drinking games. He also served as Coordinator
and organized the Cheorwon Olympics.

Nina:

lHer gregarious
and outgoing nature. She’d say “Oh, you have
to!” in her native New Jersey accent and you’d feel the Jedi mind trick
working.

Esther:

lHer smile and
her enthusiasm for hot sauce.

Chris:

lHis ability to
say the angriest things in voices that were funny as hell. He’d get mock angry
and get us all laughing.

Lisha:

lHer warm
personality and celebrating Diwali at her Uncheon apartment.

Farewell,
everyone! You’ll be missed here. It seems crazy to say “Goodbye” in this
hyperconnected world of ours because of how we can write emails to each other,
but it is tough to think about how we won’t see each other again for a long
time, if ever. With any luck, we’ll all get to see each other again! Make no mistake;
though you won’t be here in Cheorwon, the memories live on.

With
Matt leaving, I’m taking over as EPIK Coordinator for the Cheorwon teachers. He
took the job after Jerusha moved away last year. The Coordinator job involves
helping with any job issues that may arise with us and communicating with our
higher-ups at the POE. The job involves a pay raise and direct involvement in
the community here.

Though
the position does not depend on seniority, I stepped up because in the wake
over our biannual changeup, at 1.5 years in, I’m the one who’s lived here the
longest. Everyone else has been here for 6 months. This means that, without
sounding too self-aggrandizing, I’m the bridge between the “older” Cheorwon of
Kirsten/Matt/Jerusha’s time and the “newer” Cheorwon. Actually, this is only
half-true, for we still maintain contact with the “older” Crew members via
Facebook and email, so they remain a part of Cheorwon life. A few of them still
live in Korea too. And that’s a good thing, for they’ve built up plenty of
knowledge and wisdom about Cheorwon and life in Korea. Surely we’ll hear more
from them in the future.

Still,
as Coordinator, we’ll be carrying on with several key Cheorwon traditions:

lRafting in the
Hantan River – We need to make up for not doing it last year.

lCheorwon
Olympics – Our “Sports Day.” Korean schools usually have a Sports Day for the
students and teachers.

lLe Club de
Cheorwon – The name of our weekly “meetings” that Kirsten started last year.
Generally Le Club means dinners, games, and drinks.

lPub Golf – Round
2 will happen this spring!

These
were either already in place and started during the past 1.5 years and they’ve
all resulted in good times all around. I’m excited to take over the position
because it’s a new challenge and it means more responsibility. It’s merely one
more way of serving EPIK and Cheorwon. I’m happy to help.

As
Coordinator, the first order of business centers on the biannual Cheorwon
Welcome Dinner that we’ll be having this Sunday in Dongsong.* Maria from Gwanin
suggested it the day and venue. Historically, we’ve held the dinner in
Sincheorwon during the week, but I figured it best to change because of the
following reasons:

lAll of the new
people for Cheorwon will be based in Dongsong and it will thus be easier to get
them to dinner there than in Wasu or Sincheorwon.

lThe other new
people will be in Gwanin and Uncheon and both towns have bus lines to Dongsong.

lThe Sunday
meeting time allows us to meet sooner than we would if we’d chosen to hold the
dinner after school hours.

lAs Monday is the
first day of school, we can answer any questions they may have about what the
first days are like.

All
in all, I’m excited for the changes that this semester brings and can’t wait to
make it the best one yet.

*Though
it is called the Cheorwon Welcome Dinner, we welcome our new friends from the
Gyeonggi-do towns of Uncheon and Gwanin. They are close enough to Cheorwon that
we consider them part of our Crew here in spite of having a different EPIK
program.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

The song is about the "880000 Won generation", or the Korean people in﻿ their 20~30s right now who, thanks to some pretty terrible labor law practices, can only get part time jobs or internship that, if lucky, pays about 880000 won ($880) a month. So they live in terrible apartments (with damp flooring made out of vinyl) and can only afford to drink 'cheap coffee' while having nothing to do all day.

KPOP SUBCATEGORYthere are many other genres of music in korea, simply kpop may refer to the idol musics bands like snsd,﻿ bigbang, wondergirls etc,,, but these types of korean music is called korean indie or K-INDIE

I've heard the term "880,000won Generation" before. It refers to the amount of money that many twenty-something Koreans earn per month.

Jang's lyrics ring true in my experience. I haven't known too many Koreans who are in this spot, but his lyrics can apply to plenty of people I knew back home in Milwaukee. He's right to note the damn vinyl floor coverings in the apartments here. They can get sticky at times. Most apartments have vinyl flooring that's made to look like wood paneling. My place has it too. The song's about more than cheap coffee--it's about the loneliness and the frustration of having nothing to do but sit around. I've been there a few times in the past, especially in Milwaukee. I wasn't poor or anything, but there were times when there wasn't any money to spend that day because I needed to buy groceries or needed to pay the bills.

Also, I've written before about coffee in Korea. Cheap coffee does indeed taste cheap, and though I enjoy coffee every morning, I couldn't tell you too much about this blend or that blend. Most of it tastes similar, but the French roasts and the breakfast blends tend to go down quite well.

Note the excellent recurring descending guitar lick!

Chang Kiha & Faces, 별일없이산다– 장("I live in peace"/Byeolil Eobsi Sanda)

A good
driving rock song with some snaking bass lines. I bet it’d be even better live
because the clean production saps away some of the song’s power. It sounds good and clear, but sometimes more grit is needed. Another one to look up the words for.

"그렇고 그런 사" / "A Twosome"

Awesome retro surf guitar here! Bouncy and fun to play. Call it a rock and roll cousin to Secret's "Move."

To end the post on a funny note, here's "I've Watched TV," a funny number about--you guessed it!--watching TV. It has a catchy piano melody and some slow ringing guitar in it. Enjoy!

Cover of 1st album. This is a good look at the clustered and compressed neighborhoods typical of Seoul.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

This one’s much shorter and not as
adventurous as its predecessor. As the story goes, Shin was approached by the
Park Chung-hee administration about writing a song that praised the regime and
he declined to do it. He instead wrote the song “Beautiful Mountains and
Rivers,” (“아름다운강산”) a loping psychedelic ode to the
Korea’s beautiful landscapes. As The Shame Threshold blog writes,

The song is pretty
epic. The version on this album is one of the shorter ones I have come across,
clocking in at 7:56. Most versions of the song seem to hover around 8-10
minutes long. While the version on Vol. 2 is probably my least favorite
and most straight forward, it is still an amazing accomplishment and it is no
wonder SJH continued to rework and revisit this song throughout his career. The
song is punctuated by long, groovy psychout guitar solos, beautiful vocals, and
a wonderfully circular song structure. The song conjures images of Korean
hippies spinning around atop a beautiful pastoral hillside until they fall down
only to stay on the ground and stare at shape shifting clouds.”

“Beautiful Mountains and Rivers” is indeed
an expansive and pretty number. The ending of it is particularly interesting
because it sounds as though the track’s skipping, but it’s just the group
grooving on the closing riffs. The rest of the album can’t measure up though.
Aside from the closing song, the closing ballad “I” (“나”) the other
six songs sound uninspired and lack the rhythmic twists and turns of the
earlier songs. It’s as if the group was under pressure to deliver tone down
their delivery. The songs aren’t necessarily bad, but they’re perfunctory.
Maybe Shin and his crew lacked ideas? Maybe they were too spent after crafting “Beautiful
Mountains and Rivers”? Since G-Market sells this cheap, the
~$6 cost makes up for the brevity and the dip in quality. The opening and closing songs make up for the lackluster inner tracks.

As a side note, Shin later rerecorded an
expanded version “Beautiful Mountains” with the group Music Power (뮤직파워). It has a lusher sound with horns and
pianos. The background vocals add a nice touch of warmth as well. Shin plays a
driving rhythm guitar on it and leaves the soloing to the other instruments and
singers.

I’m not sure which is the better
version, for both have their merits. The rocker in me tends to go for the
stripped down original version, but the pop fan likes the revised Music Power
take on it.

I mentioned that I'd write more about
Shin Joong-hyun and his band the Yup Jeons. Shin's been called the
"Godfather of Korean rock" and him and the group lay down some
quality grooves together here. Here's the full review.

As with most things these days, it
started with a Groove article about an upcoming Korean history book. It
mentioned Shin Joong-hyun and his influence on Korean rock music. The article
triggered the thought that for all the Kpop I buy and enjoy, rock and roll will
always appeal more. Reading about him combined the two big passions of music,
and so I did a bit of research on what records were out there. I bought the Volume
1 album without hearing a note of it. A description of the song "Beautiful
Woman" and how the song got banned seemed like enough to go on.

I tracked down three albums from him
and this group: Volume 1, Volume 2, and Instrumental Best. Of the trio, Volume
1's the best, but all 3 have their merits.

The Volume 1 LP's full of funky rocking
grooves. From the opening "Beautiful Woman" to the Hendrix-style
"Sunrise," it is 45 minutes of classic rock bliss. Actually, classic
rock wouldn't accurately describe all the heavy funk bass lines and soulful
singing. Think Isaac Hayes' album Hot Buttered Soul and you'll
get close. As good as Shin's guitar work is, Lee Nam-i's bass and Kwan
Young-nam's drumming shine as well. They make a good rhythm section here. "I
Don't Know" rocks like any number of blaxploitation soundtrack songs and
"Lady" rides a tense crescendo into a driving chorus a couple of
times.

The version I'm describing's actually a
recent American reissue. It features expanded, all-English liner notes, and an
LP-style jacket. The notes help explain the story of the record and what Shin
was thinking when he recorded it. Much as I like the translations of the
lyrics, the Korean lyrics would have been good to have, even if American
listeners may not be able to read them. They'd certainly help with learning
Korean.

Volume 1 didn't take off like the band
expected, so the group ended up issuing a rerecorded version of it instead. It
had more fuzz guitar overdubs and a different, flatter mix than the original
issue The cover’s also different. All of the songs I've posted here have come
from version two because version one can't be found on YouTube. The rerecorded
version’s available for much cheaper in Korea than the original version, but
the original has a fuller sound and better packaging. It also appeals to my
record collector sensibilities, because I’m a sucker for the words reissue, limited release, and original
mix.

Monday, February 18, 2013

EPIK teachers come and go every 6 months due to how our contracts are set up. Teachers either get contracted from February to February or August to August, so the time has come to say goodbye for those who are leaving. This time's an especially big exodus, for no less than 4 of us in Cheorwon (plus 2 from nearby towns of Gwanin and Uncheon) will be leaving. Dongsong in particular is losing 3 teachers; all two year veterans at that.

I asked the departing members of the Cheorwon Crew what wisdom they'd like to pass on to the newcomers. Coming to a foreign country to begin a job's a big undertaking, so I hope this advice helps...

Say yes to everything. Yes, this includes the 3rd round at the noraebang or doing extra work for classes. The first six months aren't the time to get finicky about contractual clauses. Saying "yes" is how you gain face and build relationships here. All of the things you do will pay off down the road. Nina writes, "Sometimes it's really awkward to go out of your comfort zone, or you're tired or whatever, but now is the time to do it. You arrive not knowing anyone and having all those crazy weird experiences in the beginning help you build lifelong friendships."

Coming here to save money is great, but don't over-analyze expenses. Our salaries do quite well in covering utilities and day to day living expenses. Not only that, but Korea offers many cheap opportunities for fun. My dad's fond of saying, "Work hard, but don't kill yourself." Nina echoed this idea by saying "you are in Korea...you traveled halfway around the world, so go out and have fun!"

Talk to the kids outside of school. Get to know your students outside of class as much as possible. Esther mentions that she enjoyed going on trips with her students because she saw them outside the classroom. They weren't following a script and freer with their conversation, so their personalities could come through better.

Remember the excitement of the first week. The land will be strange and you most likely won't know any Korean, but fear not: It gets better. In time you will become more familiar with your surroundings. Those crazy Korean letters will become understandable after a time as well.

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Intercity bus fares will rise 5.8 percent and those of express buses will go up 4.3 percent from March 2, the first hike since August 2010.The Land, Transportation and Maritime Affairs Ministry on Friday said the minimum intercity bus fare will be raised from 1,200 won (1.11 U.S. dollars) to 1,300 won (1.20 dollars). The Seoul-Yeosu line fare will rise 5.3 percent from 24,400 (22.61 dollars) to 25,700 won (23.82 dollars), and that of the East Seoul Terminal-Chuncheon line will go up 6.3 percent from 6,300 (5.84 dollars) to 6,700 won (6.21 dollars)....

Eun-jin had told me months ago that her mother owned a restaurant near Anguk Station, but I'd never taken her up on eating there until now. While planning the weekend, I figured we'd need something else to do besides see 63 City, so going here took care of two things: keeping in touch with a good friend and sampling more delicious Korean food.

A quick call to her set everything in place.

Rochelle and I rode the subway from Yeouinaru to Anguk and Eun-jin met us there. Where she took us exceeded my expectations on every count. When she'd mentioned her mother ran a restaurant, I'd thought she ran a small neighborhood cafe of some kind because Eun-jin didn't talk too much about it. Little did I know that her mother runs one excellent traditional Korean restaurant in Insadong! It is called Bukjigu Jangguchigu. It has rustic wooden beams everywhere and the place feels like a cozy cabin. I loved it right away for its intimate atmosphere and inviting decor.

The food tasted every bit as good. We ate a chicken and vegetable dish called dalkgalbi bokkeum tang (닭갈비 볶음탕), a dish that looked like dalkgalbi, but wasn't quite the same because it had slightly different ingredients and it came covered in a spicy red sauce. Eun-jin recommended it to us by saying it's her favorite thing to eat there. We loved it too. As usual, the dish came with a big assortment of sides. And what's more, a big haemul pajeon (Korean pancake) arrived as "service," or a free bonus! Haemul pajeon means seafood pancake. Their large size makes them a meal in itself! We dove into that as a sort of dessert and left the place feeling full and happy from the good times.

Tis was a great outing because Eun-jin's a good friend and we don't get to meet too often because of our busy schedules. As it happened, Eun-jin's friend joined us and told us about her upcoming wedding, so we enjoyed hearing that too.

*Sometimes restaurants and businesses will give free stuff as "service" or "Seo-bi-seu" for various reasons: liking you, sales promotions, being a frequent customer, etc. It's one of the many things that makes this country great.

"With 63 floors measuring a height of 264m, the 63 Building is Korea’s tallest and most recognized building. The 63 Building boasts spectacular views of the Hangang River and the surrounding mountains of Bugaksan Namsan and Gwanaksan. 63 Building has undergone considerable renovation and the basement floor boasts convenient facilities including 63 Sea World, 63 IMAX theater, Korea’s greatest buffet restaurant “Buffet Pavilion,” and a host of other restaurants."

I've been wanting to go here since my recruiter sent a Korea travel guide in the mail and after many weekends of not going there, we finally went. Woohoo for getting stuff done and boohoo for procrastination.

63 City's like Seoul's equivalent of the Willis Tower in Chicago, only it has many more things inside it. Whereas Chicago has Willis Tower's Sky Deck and the Shedd Aquarium, 63 City has the Sky Art observation deck and Sea World in the same building. The place also has a food court, a wax museum, and an IMAX theater inside. I must say, the Koreans know how to build a tourist destination.

Rochelle and I were mostly interested in Sky Art, which combines the 60 story high observation deck with an art gallery full of pieces from around the world. It featured mostly drawings and paintings from Europe this time. Though many looked interesting, a few didn't quite catch our eyes. We did see a Dali piece though. I don't know too much about art, but I do enjoy Dali's surrealistic pieces, so that was good to see. The real thrills lay with the observation deck: We'd come up on a sunny but hazy afternoon and even the haze couldn't stop us from seeing for miles all around the city. We looked out upon Seoul from every direction and found it inspiring. As noted before, the city's a crazed mix of old and new. The contrast between the new concrete high rises and the older neighborhoods looked especially great from 60 floors up. It looked as though the new complexes would swallow the old neighborhoods whole by squeezing them out of the sun.

We enjoyed seeing the city from these new perspectives and plan on going back again to check out the Sea World and the Wax Museum. It makes for a great afternoon out. Highly recommended to anyone in Korea. In fact, there were many families and couples there alongside us, so it's a popular attraction for Koreans as well. Many of my students have been there and they said they enjoyed it.

Directions: It's within 15 minutes walk from exit 5 of Yeouinaru (여의나루) station, but it's also on 3 bus lines. There's a free shuttle as well.

Cost: 12,000won/person for Sky Art. Other stuff is extra. I bought 2 tickets with my card and the lady dropped 2,000 from the price, so perhaps you can do the same if you go with another person.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

An article in the Korea Joongang Ilbo clued me into this upscale neighborhood that lies south of Seoul. The paper runs articles on various area from time to time and this one looked good because of it looked like a prime place to spend an afternoon. Though the article didn't talk as much about the nearby Tan stream and park as it did the food, both deserve special mention. We'd come to Jeongja-Dong primarily for the food and found ourselves enjoying the surround area as well.

We'll surely come here again to spend an afternoon or evening. The area's every bit the ideal for urban living: multi-use apartment buildings, abundant green spaces, wide sidewalks, shops, restaurants, and schools were all within walking distance of the subway station. The stream boasted large grassy areas and long, straight bike and walking paths. Jeongja-dong looked like the visions of neighborhoods detailed in the book Suburban Nation; indeed, the place felt like Korea than it did the USA. Living here doesn't come cheap, but the convenience factor's strong.

View from a convex bridge

A shot of one of the apartment courtyards.

This Is Jjamppong

Jjamppong's something I've eaten a few times and always found it a bit too spicy. JB the coteacher's a fiend for it, so I've eaten plenty of it with him. The dish is fiery, yet after having spent more time in the country, the time felt right to give the dish another go. It helped that Rochelle had never eaten it before. She wanted to go there, so we did. This Is Jjamppong makes it a bit differently, as we saw when we looked at the menu.

A special jjamppong (Chinese-style hot noodles with vegetables and seafood) place should be added to the list of fusion cuisine list, located a few walks from Naroo. Ordinary jjamppong comes with a spicy broth that is purported to ease hangovers. This Is Jjamppong, however, adds a little twist by adding cream. Kim Dong-han, who lives in the area, has become a believer in cream jjamppong, eating it every time he has a hangover.

“When I first looked at the cream jjamppong, I wondered how it would be different from Italian cream pasta,” said Kim. “However, the cream jjamppong surprisingly had the spiciness of ordinary jjamppong and soon became the go-to food for me to cure hangovers.”

Out of eight different types of jjamppong, the cream jjamppong is the one that surprises customers the most based on its dramatically different taste and appearance.

We ordered the aforementioned cream jjamppong and the "clear" jjamppong (맑은 짬뽕) that came with a white broth instead of the red broth. I ordered the clear one to temper the spiciness. The staff looked pleased to have us there and nearly fell over themselves asking if we were okay with eating spicy food. That was nice of them and they liked it when I told them I'd heard about the restaurant in the newspaper.

The food arrived and we started eating to find that perhaps they'd dialed back the spices for us because neither dish registered much on the spice scale. Perhaps they used different noodles? It doesn't matter much to me, for I enjoyed both variants. It made sense that the "clear" jjamppong wouldn't have as much spice to it because of the different broth. The cream jjamppong tasted great: a cross between the venerable Asian dish and a fettuccine Alfredo. It was rich and hearty with flavor. We liked that one.

Total cost? A reasonable 15,000won.

Directions: go straight out of exit 3 of Jeongja Station. Keep walking until you see it on your right. The sign is in Korean, so look for 이것이 짬뽕, which means "This is jjamppong" in Korean.

The Seongnam Cafe Street

This area's packed with places to eat. To get there, follow these directions that Rochelle found:

Directions

Jeongja Station (Seoul Subway Bundang Line), Exit 5.From the subway exit, turn around and cross the road.Turn left onto Neuti-ro Street (느티로), and go straight for 60m.Turn right before the Paragon Apartment Building 101, and go straight for 160m.Cross the road at Paragon Apartment Building 104 to arrive at Budang Jeongja-dong Café Street.

We did just that and hung out at Azabu to munch down delicious fish-shaped pastries for a while.
As a side note, this trip marked one of the few times where we didn't have trouble finding anything. Normally every excursion to a new place involves checking maps, asking directions, and wandering slightly aimlessly, but not this time!